IMSA 2019: GTLM @ 12 Hours of Sebring
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
Nick Tandy, Patrick Pilet and Fred Makowiecki with their #911 Porsche 911 won the GTLM class for a second consecutive year. Porsche’s IMSA GTLM win came a day after Porsche’s WEC GTE-Pro and GTE-Am triumphs in the 1000 Miles of Sebring, the 6th round of the FIA World Endurance Championship, with Gianmaria Bruni and Richard Lietz winning the GTE-Pro, and Matt Campbell, Julien Andlauer and Christian Ried winning the GTE-Am class.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
Sebastien Bourdais set the GTLM record in lap 77 with the #66 Ford GT in 1:57.478. Together with Joey Hand and Dirk Müller, they finished second in class, only 1.951 sec. behind the winning Porsche.
P3 for Jan Magnussen, Antonio Garcia and Mike Rockenfeller who completed the GTLM podium with their Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R after having competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 1.000 miles race on Friday. Despite lacking the ultimate pace of the class front-runners, the trio was leading inside the final hour ahead of its final pit stop. The team tried to gamble by stopping twice inside the final 80 minutes to get better tires than competitors but probably missed three more laps to gain two additional spots to the two Garcia gained in the final 20 minutes to climb the GTLM podium.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
P4 for Jesse Krohn, John Edwards and Philipp Eng on the hand of the #24 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE ended 4th.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
P5: Laurens Vanthoor, Mathieu Jaminet and Earl Bamber #912 Porsche GT Porsche 991 RSR
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
P6: Richard Westbroek, Scott Dixon and Ryan Briscoe #67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Ford GT
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
P7: Tom Blomqvist, Colton Herta and Connor De Philippi #25 BMW Team RLL BMW M8 GTE +1 lap
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
P8: Tommy Milner, Oliver Gavin and Marcel Fässler (#4 Corvette Racing Chevrolet Corvette C7.R) finished eighth in class (8 laps behind the leaders) after losing 11 laps in the garage for repairs to the alternator system.
📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 12 Hours of Sebring 2019
2019 was the penultimate year of endurance racing for Marcel Fässler who retired in 2020 after winning 3 times the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2011, 2012 and 2014. Fässler also won the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2013 and the 24 Hours of Spa in 2007 to name the most prestigious endurances races among all his victories.
